


I Like You

by NIGHT6kg



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, F/M, Jae is Sungjin's bestfriend, Sungjin is her older brother, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2019-10-04 08:01:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17300852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NIGHT6kg/pseuds/NIGHT6kg
Summary: Jae is one of her older brother’s closest friends whom she finds the most annoying, but at the same time, she finds herself being the most comfortable with him. And sometimes, he just becomes a little too caring for her to not notice.





	1. I Like You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like you  
> I tried holding it back  
> But I can't anymore //
> 
> I Like You - Day6

 

The person who knows many secrets about her that could be used as enough blackmail when the circumstance calls it is her older brother, Sungjin, who's only two years older than her. And probably, the next person to him on the list would be his best friend, Jae, who doesn’t know her secrets like Sungjin does, but knew and witnessed too much embarrassing moments in her life which he shoves in her face every chance he gets just to make fun of her. Since her brother joined a band back in high school, his bandmates would often spend the weekends at her house to compose songs in the music studio in their house. The music studio was just a small room that used to be a stock room. Since the band needed a place, all the things there had to be moved to another spare room to give room for the equipments. And of course, she was asked to help in moving the boxes. That’s her job every time they come anyway—to assist, help, and entertain her brother’s friends every time they come over like an accomodating host.

 

She remembers that time she was struggling to carry one of the boxes and Jae was just laughing his ass off upon seeing her. She just glared at him as he continued wheezing his lungs while she struggles to carry both the box and her weight to keep standing still.

“Shorty, you’re already so small, why are you still carrying that? You might just become shorter than you already are.” 

She raised a brow at him. “Well at least I’m not being a useless ass lying around.” _God, he is so annoying._ She was about to turn her back at him, but he suddenly snatched the heavy box from her. “Goodness. You can always ask for help when you need help. I’m just right here.” But she can only remember wanting to kick the cheeky grin off his face then.

 

“Can’t I just lock myself in my room every time Sungjin’s friends come here?” She asked their mom later on, to which she just answers, “your brother would do the same when your friends are the ones who come over, even without being asked. Besides, your brother’s friends can be your friends too.” Although she admits that Sungjin’s friends weren’t really that bad but she still couldn’t help but get annoyed at them. Wonpil is actually the only one whom she somehow gets along with well while the rest are completely bothersome—Dowoon’s too shy to even look at her, Brian’s too loud, and Jae… Jae is the most annoying of them all. He would always tease her every chance he gets. And heck, why does it always have to be him to witness almost all of the embarasing things that happen to her at home or even in school? It’s like his mouth was made only for teasing her nonstop.

 

When her brother Sungjin and his friends entered college, they started to have less time for composing so their visits became seldom. She thought she could finally be free from them, but even then, Jae never stopped coming over every weekends. He’s only staying at a small apartment anyway because his family is in LA. Sometimes he would come all the way to their house just to register his classes. Sometimes Jae just comes over without Sungjin and Jae seeing each other or interacting at all. It’s like their house already became his second home. Even the guest room had already become his room. Her parents have grown really fond of him too.

 

At some point, she just gave up and accepted her fate that she can never escape Jae.

One time she woke up in the middle of the night feeling thirsty, she went over to the kitchen and found Jae who apparently was also awake that time. He was leaning in the counter table. She just ignored him as she walked to the fridge but she felt his soft stare follow her.

“Why do you still keep coming here? Aren’t you busy or something?” She asked while pouring water in her glass.

He just shrugged. “I just like it here. Your house is cozy and I like your mom’s dishes. My dude is here… and you are here. Gotta keep updating my List Of Shit Shorty Does and witness them myself, you know.” He grinned.

“God, I really hate you.”

He lifted the side of his lips to a smile, his small eyes softly peering at her through his glasses. “I know. I know,” he said chuckling, annoying her even more.

 

There were times when he would randomly call her for no reason at all or just to ask her stupid questions, drunk or sober, like the typical Jae. But there are times when he would call her at night just to check on her, which she appreciates if she has to admit.

“What?” She’d answer the call with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

“Nothin’”

“God, Jae. Waste someone else’s time instead. I’m busy.” She told him, starting to get irritated.

“Eyyy, you got it! This is actually the sole purpose of why I’m calling.”

She heard him chuckle. “But hey, what’s up? Saw your tweet. You alright?” She couldn’t help but hear the genuine concern in the soft tone of his voice.

As much as she hated him, she couldn’t deny that he can be dependable. His mouth might seem it only knows how to speak nonesense, but his words can be the most comforting and sensible when he’s sincere. He knew when to just listen. She wasn’t sure when it exactly started but one day he just started to be the first person to call when she needed someone to talk to. He is wise beyond his years. He always knew the right words to say. And yet she can also go on talking for hours and he would just listen. No unwanted advices. No empty words of comfort. He doesn’t say anything but she knew he’s still at the end of the line listening. She knew he’s just there for her.

“Alright, Shorty. It’s getting late. Don’t worry, you can still call me again tomorrow if you need to. You need to rest now,” he’d say when he knew she still had an early class that day. He doesn’t open up the topic or tease her about it when he sees her again the next day, unless she decides to talk about it again. And with that she knew she could trust him.

_Just like right now_ , seeing him panting at the doorstep, sweat dripping from his forehead and the tips of his hair.

“What the hell, you’re already dressed up?” He says as he falls on the floor when she opened the door. She was supposed to watch a movie with her older brother, and she absolutely have no idea what Jae is suddenly doing at their house. Their parents are in a trip so it’s just her at home.

She helps him get up. “What are you doing here? And why are you so sweaty?”

He doesn’t answer yet. He just tells her that she’ll surely receive a message that Sungjin wouldn’t be able to come with her for the siblings movie date, which you really did receive in a little more than a minute. She slips her phone back in her pocket after reading the text to look at him.

A bead of sweat drops in his eyes so he winks it away. “I really tried to get here early,” he laughs at himself. “Damn. Didn’t know I could actually run that fast.”

“You are so dumb. You have my number. You should’ve just called me instead of running all the way here.”

“Well according to my List Of Shit Shorty Does, you tend to ignore your phone when you’re busy getting ready. Plus it's always on silent mode so...” He shrugs.

Jae tells her that Sungjin’s really busy as the president of the student council. Something suddenly came up with the university event they were planning. She was supposed to get back to her room to get changed again, but Jae stops her and offers her to watch the movie with him instead. She knows Jae is a home person so he hates going out. Jae didn’t really need to bother, but there he is, willing go out with her even if he hates it.

“It’s such a waste if you won’t go out today,” he explains. “I mean, you look kinda cute today—which is a rare sight, by the way. So yup. Let’s go out.”

She just suspiciously squints her at eyes at him with her brows furrowed, pressing the grin that want to escape her lips. Jae’s lips just curve into a smile. “A’ight. You just wait there for a minute. I’ll just quickly get changed with my extra shirt in the guest room, then we’ll go.” 

“Just be sure your whiny ass won’t rush me to go back home,” she tells him once they’re both inside the cab. He doesn’t respond so she glanced at him again only to see him texting. She slaps his back which startles him.

“You’re not even listening to me.”

He raises his hands in surrender, one hand waving his phone. “Wait. I’m sorry. I was just texting Sungjin that I’m saving his ass today,” he says with a laugh. “And that he doesn’t need to worry because I’ll make sure you’ll get home early.”

He turns his head back to his phone. He was still grinning. She tries to avert her gaze, but she couldn’t help but discreetly turn her head towards him again, quietly studying the side of his face. From his forehead to the crook in his sharp nose—he said he hates it. But it doesn’t really matter if you were to be asked. It still looks cute. Then she notices his plump lips that look so soft. Then she studies his whole face again. He gained weight. She can tell from the puffiness of his cheeks. She wonders how come she’s only starting to notice his beautiful features just now. When she sees him, she rarely looks him in the eye and she would just usually pass by him at home. They’ve already witnessed each other grow up from their awkward phases. She couldn’t help but notice the changes in his features now.

_Since when did he start to look this cute? I can’t even remember._

He unknowingly puckers his lips as he turns his head to her again which distracts her. Turns out they have already arrived in the mall. He paid for the cab fare even when she insisted to split it. They walk side by side inside the mall. For some reason, it starts to feel weird and a little awkward. Her hands start to get fidgety. His hands too. It’s like her hand was itching to hold his hand or maybe hook her arm around his arm. But that would be weird and terribly awkward. She wonders if he feels the same because it seems like he couldn’t keep his hands still as well. Before she can even reach out for his hand, she just decides to walk ahead of him, almost half running, leaving him behind.

“Hey, wait up!” Jae catches up with her and playfully rests his hand on the top of her head to stop her. “How can someone with legs so short walk that fast?!” She tries to elbow his chest but he’s quick enough to avoid it while chuckling. “Shorty, your arms aren’t that long.”

And like her typical moments with Jae, she just end up bickering with him all throughout their way to the cinema. For a while, she forgets the weird feeling in her stomach being next to him. She gives him a light kick in the ankle when they arrive in front of the counter. “Remind me not to go out with you ever again.”

He just softly chuckles while blinking his eyes. While she was deciding which film she wanted to watch, she hears him mutter to himself “I hope not.” But she wasn’t sure if it’s his response to what she just said. But just like that, the feeling comes back again like a massive wave that kisses the shore of her heart, shaking it. She starts to feel it pounding in her chest, but she tries her hardest to shrug it away. When he agrees to watch the movie of her choice, they both decide to walk around for a while since they still got an hour before the movie starts. They decide to stop by a cafe while waiting.

“Hey, take a picture of me,” she tells him once they’ve settled down in your seat. They sit across each other. He raises his hand to her face when she was about to hand him her phone.

“No need. I’ll just use my phone instead. Your phone’s camera quality is bleh.”

“Excuse me? My phone is alright.” She scowls at him.

His eyes disappear when he laughs. “Nah, we just really gotta see your cuteness in HD.” She expected to hear sarcasm in his voice, but when she looks at him, there’s no hint of playfulness. He starts preparing his phone’s camera to take a picture of her.

He adjusts the angle of his phone. “Try to do that reach out your hand thing. I’ll put my arm like this,” jae extends his arm. “Pretend that you’re reaching for mine like those pics on IG. A’ight. Let’s do it.”

She tries it only to put it down quickly. “Okay stop. It looks awkward. It’s cringey.”

“Come on, you just try it,” he insists but she covers her face with her hand instead. He still continues to take a picture of her anyway. His lips curve into a soft smile. Then there goes the weird feeling creeping back again.

After an hour passed, they both finally go inside the cinema. She warps an arm around the huge box of popcorn while Jae holds the drinks. She chooses seats somewhere in the middle part.

“Someone’s gonna be crying like a whale later,” he utters, making sure she’ll hear him. She lightly punches his arm but he just laughs as a response. 

 

But Jae was right. Halfway through the film, she can’t stop sobbing anymore while Jae just continues shoving popcorn in his mouth. He hears her, of course. He glances at her and laughs at her face. She just scowls at him but he still wipes her tears with the long sleeve of his cotton button down while softly chuckling. Then he clumsily brushes away the strands of her hair blocking her face.

“See? I was right,” he softly says, though still with a hint of teasing in the tone of his voice. “Why are you so ugly when you cry?” She couldn’t even speak as if there’s a lump in her throat. So much for having shallow tears because of a movie. After a while, she notices Jae slowly trying to tilt his body towards her so she can lean her head or maybe hide behind his shoulder as she continues to cry. She rests her head on his shoulder. She wonders if it’s already starting to feel uncomfortable for him but he doesn’t say anything until the movie ends.

When the movie ended though, he stretched his arm and quickly massaged his shoulder with his hand. He must’ve struggled in his awkward position but he didn’t move so she could comfortably lean on him.

“Sorry,” she tells him pointing at his shoulder.

“You know the saying that goes like ‘carrying the world in your shoulders’? I felt that. Literally.”

“You know I’m trying hard not to punch your face right?” She squints your eyes at him although it still feels heavy from crying too much earlier.

He chuckles as he grabs her wrist when she tries to jokingly aim for his face. “Can’t do that to my handsome face.” He smugly grins. “Alright, Shorty, let’s go,” he says, still holding your wrist while he wraps his other arm around the huge box of popcorn. He lets go of her wrist when they get outside. She just watches him as he walks away from her to quickly dispose the trash. And when he came back beside her, he beams a smile that tugs her heart. Again.

 

For some reason, when they walked side by side again, no one was uttering a word. Something has changed, she thought. And she knows she’s not the only one who feels it. Jae suddenly claps his hands, distracting her from her thoughts. “So, do you… wanna go home now? Or… do you wanna eat first or something?”

“M-Maybe we should just go home now. I'm... suddenly kinda feeling unwell, I think.” At the back of her mind, she still kinda wants to spend more time with him. But she needs to figure out the weird feeling first. Her heart just wouldn’t stop wildly pounding in her chest.

 

In the ride back home, though, she starts to regret that she didn’t choose to spend a little more time with him. The day suddenly feels too short, and the sun was just setting. When they arrive home, they both hesitate to go inside.

“Hmm, thanks for treating me. Maybe I’ll just cook for you next time?”

He just nods, pursing his lips. She just gives hime a smile and doesn’t wait for him to utter anything anymore. But when she was about to go inside, he stops her. 

He struggles to look her in the eye as he finally calls her by her name sounding a little too sweet in his voice.

“Can we go out again next time?” He stutters.

“With Sungjin? Sure. I’ll tell my brother that we’ll—”

“No. I mean—Sungjin might punch me for this but—just the two of us. In a date. Like a date-date.”She just stares at him, at loss for words. She lifts her lip to utter a word, but nothing comes out.

“I’m… I’m cool with it,” she finally says after a beat of silence trying hard to keep her knees from falling.

 He bites his lip as a grin escapes his lips. “Very nice. I can’t wait.”

——

That night, Sungjin receives two messages from Jae.

**From: Jae**

**6:10 pm**

**Hey. I just wanna tell you that I really, really like your sister since god knows when. It’s not like I’m asking for your approval or anything because it’s still her decision anyway. I mean we ain’t official yet. But yeah… I think we’re gonna start seeing each other now.**

**From: Jae**

**6:12 pm**

**But just in case you’re not planning to punch my face right now and you support your dude, do you know what kind of dates she likes?**


	2. (Bonus Chapter)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jae and Sungjin's younger sister are officially dating.

 

That night she waited for any message from Jae but didn’t receive anything at all. It made her think if it was just an impulsive idea and that he’s already starting to regret it.So instead of tossing and turning waiting for his message, she sent him one first instead.

 

 **_Her_ ** __

You… haven’t forgotten right?

 **From:** **Jae**

Which one? The part where where you cried like a whale because of a movie?

**_Her_ **

THAT’S IT BYE JAE I’M BLOCKING YOU

**From: Jae**

No I’m sorry I was SO nervous you’d take it back [nervous emoji]

**From: Jae**

But it’s still a yes right?

 

On the first few days since they agreed to see each other—or rather start dating, nothing much has really changed. She thought perhaps Jae would act a little more sweet to her, but he's still the same annoying Jae who fools around and teases her a lot. She expected he’d start calling her with some endearment but instead he kept calling her Shorty. Most of the time she just wanted to smack his face for saying nonstop nonsense. She admits that her day would feel incomplete without hearing those nonsense though.

Nothing has changed, except now that they both have the privilege to hold each other’s hand randomly. Or her having the privilege of asking Jae to play with her hair while they both sat down on a bench with her head placed on his lap. He would say she looks ugly from his point of view, but his eyes would tell otherwise with the way he fondly looked at her. Or him having the privilege of asking her to watch his badminton practices to give him strength. Then they would eat somewhere after.

Since they started dating though, Jae hasn’t been able to step anywhere near her house in fear of bumping into Sungjin. Instead, he would wait for her down the street so they could walk together to the university. 

 

She rolled her eyes upon seeing him inside the convenience store wearing hoodie and glasses—which she guesses was supposedly for disguise. He was anxiously looking around. His face brightened up as soon as he saw her standing outside. She threw him a look of disbelief for his disguise. 

“Jae are you not even aware that you’re like a tall tree? I could easily spot you even from a distance.” She said as a matter of fact.

Jae puckered his lips making his cheek pockets more evident. He removed his glasses and took off his hoodie. “So we’re really not making this a secret for a while?”

“Why should we?” She scoffed at Jae who’s intently looking at her while dramatically rubbing his chin. 

Jae’s eyes narrowed playfully while a grin slowly spread across his face. “Shorty, I get it. You want to tell the whole world you’re dating The Hottest Guy Ever aka Park Jaehyung. However… Sungjin scares me, y'know.” 

She shook her head with a look of pity in her face. “Says the guy who immediately texted my older brother right after I agreed to date him.”

She strode past him and he immediately caught up. He walked beside her with his hand tucked in his pocket. As they walked to the university, he glanced at her hand from to time, waiting for the right time to hold it until he couldn’t resist asking for permission anymore.

“Since we’re not planing to hide from anyone, we can… do the the holding hands thing, right?” She didn’t answer and the kept walking. But soon enough she was finally took his hand. She didn’t even glance at him but he could see the way she was pressing a grin in her lips. She could feel his thumb absent-mindedly rubbing her hand from time to time. She thought she felt her knees getting weak but she remained silent. 

They unexpectedly bumped into Brian and Wonpil on their way to their department building. They strode towards Jae and Sungjin’s sister to greet them but they immediately noticed something unusual between the two. They didn’t even try to be subtle in staring at her and Jae’s hands clasped together. 

Wonpil narrowed his eyes at their hands “Oho, wait…”  He then looked up at the two, brows still furrowed in confusion. “What’s happening?” He asked, sounding unsure. Brian just stared at the two, also wondering.

Jae let go of her hand for a while to clasp his both hands as though about to start a formal to talk. “That is… definitely none of your business. Okay, bye.” Jae told Wonpil in playful formal voice, and immediately grabbed her again, pulling her away from the two. She looked up at him only to see him pressing a grin. Sometimes, at the back of her mind, she would wonder if Jae only asked her to date as an impulsive thought. _What if he just enjoyed my company that day? Does he really like me?_

But then, looking at him like that as if he’s truly happy, assured her. He glanced at her with a smile. “Damn, we’re really dating.” he chuckled softly, his eyes blinking. 

“Yeah. Weird.”

 

Jae couldn’t remember when he started getting fond of her. He liked teasing her initially because it just felt the most natural thing to do around her. She was a top student in class yet Jae knew how dumb and clumsy she could be. He was a witness to most of it that’s why she hated him. But he liked the way she scrunched her nose and puckered her lips when she gets annoyed. In his eyes, it was the cutest especially when she would follow it with threats while her fists are planted on her hips. She looked so small next to him. 

There was a time when he felt like there’s still something lacking in the songs he tried to write. Until she just randomly popped in his head one day while trying to write again, but that time, words flowed easily. Wonpil even got surprised he could write songs like that everyone thought he had a secret girlfriend. Jae never admitted about his inspiration for most of the songs he has written. At first he thought it was pure inspiration but then it slowly grew into an innocent crush. Although he had a few other crushes aside from her back then. It only stopped when he found himself a girl friend in high school but things didn’t end well. 

And soon enough, his feelings for her came back again. Though they almost never stopped bickering and annoying each other, they were sceretly comfortable with each other’s company then even despite the silence when they are together.

 

It was a Tuesday afternoon and they both have no remaining classes for the rest of the day. They were both unwilling to spend much to go anywhere so they just ended up at Jae’s apartment. She sat on Jae’s bed while studying while hes busy playing a computer game. They were both just busy minding their own business for quite some time until she put down her book and looked up at Jae.

“My parents are already back and the first thing they did was actually look for you. So when are you coming over again?”

She saw the corner of Jae’s mouth quirk from the side. “Shorty, we’re still together and you’re already missing me. You like me that much, huh?” He smugly saaid, eyes still glued on the screen.

She aimed a pillow at him but he dodged it. “Shut up. I’m actually sick of your face already,” she insisted, making him chuckle.

“I miss them too, but y’know… I still can’t face Sungjin.” Jae finally turned his head away from the screen to look at her. “I still felt guilty finally asking you out when I was only supposed to accompany you to the movie that day as I promised him. It’s like I took advantage of the whole situation.” He drew a deep breath.

Jae was sincere but she barely heard most of it. Everything else seemed to have been muted except for the word “finally” _. So it really wasn’t an impulsive thought._ It made her smile to herself. But Jae was clueless. He raised his brows at her waiting to tell him what she was smiling at, but she just shrugged and went back to reading her book.

After a little while when Jae glanced at her again, she was already sleeping. He just shook his head and went back to playing game again. Most people knew her as the top student. But in reality, she’s just like everyone else who usually gets lazy to study and procrastinates a lot.

When she woke up from her supposed nap turned into hours of sleep, Jae’s already not in front of his computer anymore. She searched for him and found him sitting at the edge of the bed, busy with his phone. She surprised him by placing her legs in his lap, trying to add weight to it.

Jae turned toward her with a confused look in his face. She just smiled at him innocently. She got up and peeked outside the window. It was already getting dark.

“You were sleeping so soundly, I thought you weren’t gonna wake up any time soon anymore.” She just stared at him, still seemingly half asleep, then laid down in bed again. She extended her arm until she was able to grab some of Jae’s shirt and pulled him down beside her. She removed his phone from his hand and set a timer.

“10 minutes,” she mumbled and scooted close to Jae’s chest. Jae was just softly chuckling while confusion is all over his face while watching her. “I wanna sleep some more.”

He propped himself on one elbow and used his free hand to tuck some stray strands of hair behind her ear. “Hey, get up now. Come on. It’s getting dark already,” he softy said while lightly tapping her shoulder. She protested and just scooted even closer.

“Come on. I’ll walk you home now.” He ran his fingers through her hair and she softly sighed with her eyes still shut.

Soon after she finally fluttered her eyes open and stared at him blankly. He raised his brows. What?”

She suddenly drew her face near his neck which had taken him aback making him inch away from her a little. “Hey! What are you doing?”

She looked up at him wiht a serious look on her face. “Is that your perfume?”

“…Yeah? Why?”

“It smells like my brother’s deodorant.” She told him making him draw a sharp breath with pursed lips as he fell on the bed. She propped herself up and chuckled at him.

She playfully slapped his arm. “I’m joking! You actually smell really nice.” A smile tugged at his lips. “Come on. Let’s go!”

 

On their way to her house, Dowoon sees them together from inside the convenience store. He immediately tells what he saw in their band’s KKT GC.

 

 **Dowoon:** I think I saw Jae and Sungjin’s sister together. [2]

 **Wonpil:** I know~ [2]

 **Wonpil:** Are they dating? [2]

 **Brian:** Jae where you [1]

 **Dowoon:** Hey guys, remove Sungjin in the GC first! [1]

 **Brian:** It’s okay he rarely checks the GC anyway kkk [0]

 **Wonpil:** Wait… [0]

 **Wonpil:** SUNGJIN SAW IT [0]

 

Soon after, Jae received a message from Sungjin. It was a reply to his message before.

 

**From: Sungjin**

**7:48 pm**

 

**You have to figure that out yourself.**

 

Jae froze upon reading the message. He could tell that Sungjin was possibly mad. But before he could start thinking of the worst in thrms of their friendship, it is followed by another one.

 

**From Sungjin:**

**7:50 pm**

  
****

**Just make sure you are both happy.**


End file.
